JYJ member Kim Jae-joong made his first appearance in Turkey for a fan meeting Monday. About 600 fans attended the meeting at Ankara University. “As much as to see my fans, I’m here at the invitation by the Korean Culture Service, so I will do my utmost to promote our culture,” the popular singer told his excited fans.His fans sang along to his songs in Korean before surprising him with a belated birthday party. The tickets sold out within 30 minutes on the Korean Culture Service website, reflec

Hallyu sees new turn as more K-pop stars dominate TV drama and performing arts sceneThis is the last of a five-part series on hallyu. ― Ed.For Girls’ Generation fans, the year 2012 must come as an exciting one.Not only are they going to see their favorite hallyu singers on YouTube music videos and K-pop shows, but they are also going to find the girls on the small screen, as TV drama actresses. Four members of the group -- Yoona, Jessica, Yoori, and Sooyoung -- have recently announced their upco

Pop group 2PM will be teaching the Korean language on air in Japan, according to the group’s local agency.The group will appear on Japan’s public broadcaster NHK from April, hosting a five-minute segment of its popular Korean-language education show. The segment is slated to be titled “2PM’s One-point Korean,” and the members will be mainly teaching useful travel phrases.The group made its Japanese debut last year, and successfully completed the “Republic of 2PM” Japan Arena Tour. The group held

Donghae, a member of popular boy band Super Junior, was picked by foreign fans as the number one Hallyu star they would date, a survey showed. Dong Hae and Si-Won at Yahoo Buzz Awards Ceremony (Yonhap News)According to the survey by broadcaster Arirang TV, Donghae, 26, topped the list of the se

‘Winter Sonata’ boosts Nami Island tourism while interest in hansik grows through ‘Daejanggeum’This is third of a five-part series on hallyu. ― Ed.Buoyed by “hallyu,” or the Korean Wave, Korean dramas are stretching their influence beyond the small screen and affecting other industries, including tourism and food. KBS TV drama series “Winter Sonata,” for example, the drama which started the wave 10 years ago, brought an explosive growth in foreign tourists to South Korea.The number of visitors t

The government Tuesday estimated the number of overseas fans of Korean pop culture at 3.3 million, indicating the "Korean Wave," also known as the "hallyu," is a significant force in many Asian, European and American countries.There were an estimated 182 hallyu fan clubs with a combined 3.3 million

MANILA (AP) ― How did Seoul become Asia’s capital of cool?Even here in the Philippines, once an undisputed bastion of American pop and Hollywood movies, South Korean pop music, soap operas and fashion are now all the rage.“I want the same brown, but slightly blonde color, as Sandara’s hair,” says 22

Web startups see business opportunities by making digital tools to tackle language barriersAs the Internet has paved the way for instant, worldwide access to Korean pop songs and soap operas, nimble startups are capitalizing on the demand for the country’s top cultural exports by making digital tool

Music mania boosts local tourism, export of hallyu cultural contentFollowing Korean pop concerts in June in Paris, the K-pop industry is enjoying a second Korean Wave around the globe. This is the first installment of a two-part series of articles looking at the bright and dark sides of K-pop. ― Ed.

Hallyu star girl group KARA has been appointed as PR ambassador for 2011 K-pop Cover Dance Festival, which begins its second round competition on Sept. 3. The festival celebrates the “cover dance” videos that K-pop fans around the globe are currently submitting online through www.coverdance.org for the preliminary round of the competition. The cover dance refers to emulating of the original choreography of popular K-pop dances. According to the Visit Korea Committee, more tha

 Some 300 young Polish fans hold a rally in Warsaw on July 30 expressing hope for a K-pop concert in their country. (Yonhap News)  

Ryu Si-won celebrates his victory at the Ferrari Challenge Race in Shanghai, Monday. (Yonhap)Korean wave star Ryu Si-won and his car racing team won an international race in China on Monday, according to reports.The 39-year-old celebrity won the second round of the Ferrari Challenge Race in Shanghai.Last month, Ryu won the first round of the race at Zhuhai City of Guangdong Province.“I feel so gre